Conduit.



J. A., GAREY GONDUIT.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 12, 1907.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

(ii W attomwgo J. A. GAREY.

GONDUIT. AiILIOATION FILED AUG. 12, 1907.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

w L a u MN JOHN A GAREY, OF MOUND CITY, MISSOURI.

CONDUIT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 27, 1908.

Application filed August 12, 1907. Serial No. 388,255.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. GAREY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mound City, in the county of Holt and State of Missouri,have invented a new and useful Conduit, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to conduits for electric railways, andparticularly to railways of that general type in which the third rail issupported on the surface of the ground;

The principal object of the invention is to provide a means foreifectively guarding the third rail for the purpose of preventingaccumulations of dirt, snow, or other material thereon, and forpreventing injury to persons or animals from contact therewith.

A further object of the invention is to provide a conduit in the natureof a spring closed shield that is arranged to be opened by the passageof the plow or current collector, and to automatically close after thepassage of the plow, so that the third rail is at all times concealed,the conduit or shield being open only at a oint immediately under thecar.

A still rther object of the invention is to provide a conduit or shieldthat will admit of the ready removal of dust or dirt.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a conduit orshield that is formed of freely flexible sections that will permit readyopening and closing, the sections being connected by yieldable insulatedjoints, in order that they may not form continuous conductors in case ofaccidental short circuiting of the third rail.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully hereinafter apear, the invention consists in certain nove features of constructionand arrangement of parts, hereinafter fully described, illustrated inthe accorn panying drawings, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, it being understood that various changes in the form,proportions, size and minor details of the structure may be made withoutdeparting from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of theinvention.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a transverse sectionalelevation of a conduit or shield constructed in accordance with theinvention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, a portion of theconduit and the collecting wheel being broken away in order to moreclearly illustrate the construction. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view onthe line 33 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail sectional viewon the line 4-4of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference are em ployed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawmgs.

Secured to cross ties or sills 10 are pairs of vertically disposed anglebars 11, the base flanges of which rest upon and are secured to the tiesor other supports. The vertical webs of the bars are secured together bybolts or rivets 14, and at the upper ends of these bars are arrangedoutwardly extending flanges 15 which are bent inward to form inclinedflanges 16, the whole forming a recess that is approximately trapezoidalin cross section, and is arranged to receive the correspondingly shapedbase 17 of the third rail 18, and between the rail base and the flangesis placed a layer 19 of any suitable insulating material. Secured to andproject ing from the lower portions of the vertical webs of the anglebars are horizontal flanges 20 that form supports for a pair of shieldsor conduit members 21, these being in the form of light metallic plateshaving beaded or reinforced lower edges that rest upon the flanges, theupper ends of said plates'being a proximately semi-circular in form,their a jacent edges being provided with lips 23 which are designed toclose flat against each other at a point above'the third rail, thusforming a shield or conduit in which the rail is wholly concealed. Theplates are held in the closed osition by two sets of springs, the upperset eing in the form of helical tension springs 24 which extend from theplates to the upper ortions of the vertical webs of the angle ars. Eachlower set of springs is supported by a bolt 26 that extends through theangle bars, and is provided with rigid collars or nuts 27 that fitsnugly against the outer walls of the angle bars and hold the bolt from1011- gitudinal play. The outer portions of the bolt are threaded andpass through suitable openings formed in the plates 21, and on thethreaded portions of these bolts are mounted helical tension springs 28,the inner ends of which bear against the plates, while the outer endsbear against adjustable nuts 29 that are carried by the bolts. These twosets of springs hold the members of the conduit normally in closedposition, while the springs 28 may be compressed when it becomesnecessary to draw the lower edges of the plates outward from the flanges2] to permit the discharge of any dirt that may accumulate between theplates and the angle bars.

The adjacent ends of the various plates of which the conduit or shieldis formed are slightly spaced from each other, and across the spaceextends a strip 30 formed of insulating material, each strip being heldin place by straps 31 and suitable bolts or pins which are, also,insulated, so that the sections of the conduit cannot form a continuousconductor in case of accidental short cir cuiting of the third rail.Below the rails are arranged pits 35 in which the dirt may accumulateand from which it may be removed as from time to time may be necessary.

Similar pits may be arranged at road crossings or such other places asmay be desired.

The plow or current collector is shown in the form of a wheel a carriedby a frame I) and provided with flUStO-CODlCKtl rollers c which engagewith and separate the lips 23, so that the wheel may come into contactwith the third rail. After the passage of the Wheel, the lips are againforced into contact by the springs 24 and 28.

The present application shows and describes a current collector andcurrent collector support which form the subject of an application forLetters Patent filed by me on August 12, 1907, Serial No. 388,256.

1. In combination, a third rail, a support therelor, a pair of looselymounted plates, and springs tending to hold both the upper and the loweredges of said plates toward each other to form a wholly inclosing shieldor conduit for the third rail.

2. In combination, a vertical bar forming a third rail support, a pairof lips or flanges extending from the lower portion of the bar, a pairof plates having their lower edges resting on said lips or flanges, theupper edges of the plates being curved and provided with contactingheads, and springs connecting the plates to the bar and arranged topermit opening movement of either the upper or the lower edges of theplates.

3. In combination, a third rail, a vertically arranged bar forming athird rail support, a pair of flanges extending outward from the lowerportion of said bar, a pair of plates having their lower edges restingon the flanges, the upper edges of said plates being curved around andover the third rail, tension springs connecting the plates to the bar, abolt carried by the bar and having end tongues extending throughopenings in the lower portions of the plates, and compression springsmounted on said bolt and tending to hold the lower edges of the platesagainst the bar.

l. In combination, a third rail, a vertically arranged bar forming athird rail support, a pair of flanges extending outward from the lowerportion oi said bar, a pair of plates having their lower edges restingon the flanges, the upper edges of curved over the third rail,contacting cli)s carried by the adjacent upper edges of the plates, apair of tension. springs connecting the plates to the bar, a boltcarried by the the plates being bar and having its opposite endsextending through openings formed in the plates, springs mounted on thebolt, and nuts forming rests for the outer ends of said s n'ings.

5. In coniibination, a pair of angle bars, the upper edges of which arebent outward to form horizontal flanges, and thence inward to forminclined flanges, the bars being connected together to form at the top arecess approximately trapezoidal in cross section, a third rail having abase portion corresponding to the recess and movable therein, therebeing insulating material between the base of the rail and the flangeswhich form the recess, and a pair of spring actuated plates ar-- rangedto inclose the upper portion of the bars and the third rail.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoa'l'lixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

J OHN A. GAREY.

Witnesses L. A. LAURENCE, V I. CUNNINGHAM.

